Coffin rescued after large fire damages 164-year-old church in Leicester
Sixty firefighters tackled the blaze at St Andrew's church overnight, as Jane Hesketh reports.
A coffin containing a body ready for a funeral service was rescued from a large fire at a Leicester church that is more than 160 years old.
Emergency services were called to St Andrew's Church in Jarrom Street at 11:17pm on Tuesday (July 28th).
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said the roof of the church had been “severely damaged” while crews from nine fire engines attended to tackle the large blaze overnight.
The fire service added that there have been no casualties, and they think the fire was accidental.
A coffin containing a body, left in the church overnight, ready for a funeral service this morning, was retrieved and moved to safety by firefighters using breathing apparatus.
Pictures from Facebook/Andyman Clarke
Richard Trethewey, Archdeacon of Leicester, said: "We're just distressed.
"I spoke to some members earlier today, and the sadness, the grief, the shock, that's really come about because of this incident was very clear.
"The impact both on the loss of something that is so beautiful and loved from the past, and the impact on present activity and what they do now - it's clearly a very challenging situation."
Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service said they received multiple calls before midnight about the large fire.
The fire service said: "Following a fire investigation this morning, we can now confirm that the most probable cause of the incident is accidental.
"The fire began on the ground floor before spreading to the roof of the church. The building was secure at the time, with no sign of forced entry."
All persons have been accounted for, but the roof of this 160-year-old place of worship has been severely damaged by the fire.
The fire service have been working with Leicestershire Police, and with Cadent and Western Power to isolate gas and electricity supplies, and several roads in the vicinity were closed to traffic.
Pictures from Leicester Media Online
The church, which is an Anglo-Catholic parish church, was built by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1862 from patterned red brick and vitrified headers, which are brick ends, according to the church website.
The Diocese of Leicester has thanked the emergency services and said they're waiting for further information regarding the fire.
In a statement, they said: “We are deeply saddened by the fire at St Andrew’s Church in Jarrom Street and our immediate concern is for the safety and well-being of everyone affected."We are grateful to the emergency services for their swift response, and we thank them for all they are doing."At this stage, we are awaiting further information from Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service and would ask people not to speculate about the cause of the fire until the facts are known."Due to the incident, the funeral that was due to take place at the church today has been relocated. The family and those attending have been informed of the alternative arrangements."We appreciate the support and understanding of the community at this difficult time.”
It's hoped that the groups and congregants that use it can be accommodated elsewhere.
The Archdeacon of Leicester said: "In a context in which churches are facing challenges, when something like this happens, there are questions to be asked about how we can sustain this.
"We will be exploring all the options we can to try and help them."
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